The Dark That Killed A Rose
by Sally-Walking
Summary: Rose Weasley no, not the one you know,the other one, writes of her adventures and struggles.Her struggles with friends and enemies.Her struggles with love and OWLS.Her struggles with the darkness in the world and the darkness inside her.Who is she,really
1. King's Cross

**_Note: This manuscript was found on a shelf in the Restricted Section of the Hogwarts library. It has been released to the wizarding world for both a source of entertainment and as a cautionary tale. The letter bellow was found tucked inside the first few pages._**

_Dear reader,_

_ I (and a few others) have been asked by the current Headmistress of Hogwarts, Professor McGonagall, to write down an account of our adventures in the year before Lord Voldermort was finally destroyed. In order to commemorate the tenth anniversary of this event, of course._

_ I was at first reluctent to do this, mainly because Professor McGonagall has given me a good number of detentions over the years, but also because I am not at all proud of what I became in that last year. _

_ But today, after stepping into my tiny Auror office, and viewing the enormous pile of paperwork in my in-tray, I have decided that perhaps it is time to jot down my story. I'm sure my boss, , will not object. Indeed, he himself is holed up in his cubicle, writing **his **memoirs. I dare say that they shall sell many more copies than **my **humble narrative, but what can you do? Some people just have all the bloody luck in the world._

_ Oh dear, that pile of paperwork is looming most dreadfully. I reckon I'll start nine years before I'm supposed too, just to put of responsibility. Anyway, we'll start when I was eleven and Harry Potter was about nine._

_ Good luck,_

_Rosie Weasely (the first, of course)_

_Hogwarts. _The name alone sent tingling shivers of excitement up and down my spine. Finally, a place where I would no longer be considered a freak. Ever since I had received my owl, telling me that I had been accepted into "Hogwarts, School of Witchcraft and Wizardry", I had been a throbbing ball of nerves and anticipation. _What will the school look like? Will the teachers be nice? What about the students? _

"_Rose!"_

Tearing myself away from my own thoughts, I looked up into worried blue eyes of my aunt.

"Rose, have you been listening to a single word of what I've been saying?"

_What do you think? _The words trembled for a moment on the tip of my tongue, before natural survival instinct snatched them away. _Now might not be the right time for being saucy._

"Yes, Aunt Ellie." I said, trying to look dutiful and innocent.

Acting had never been my specialty, and I could _see _myaunt's eyes narrow in suspicion.

The problem_, _I reflected_, _wasmy_ bloody_ _stupid _face. If I'd been born with round, rosy cheeks, large blue eyes, and pretty blond curls, it would've been a different matter. But Fate seemed to have had a nasty sense of humor where I was concerned, and had given me a sharp, thin face, slightly wavy and _definitely_ messy black hair, eyebrows that seemed naturally inclined to scowl, and eyes that were dark and haughty. All in all, I looked about as innocent as a sheepish bull, standing in a wrecked china shop. Eleven years worth of trouble making and mischief didn't help to improve my case.

"Alright," said my aunt, showing unexpected cunning "What was the last thing that I told you?"

I opened my mouth and then paused. Lying was all very well, but as far as I could tell there was no way to either lie or squirm my way out this predicament. I opted for the truth.

"I haven't the foggiest idea. What _was _the last thing that you told me?"

Aunt Ellie sighed in exasperation, while behind her my two oldest cousins, named Susan and Ralph, snickered into their hands. I stuck out my tongue at them, purely in retaliation you understand. Unfortunately, my aunt saw me.

"_Rose_, don't be rude. _Ralph! Susan!_ It's impolite to make fun of your cousin. Go help your father and Jenny get the trunks out of the car. No, not you, Rosie. I want to talk to you."

I stayed, watching my two cousins scamper off in the direction of our battered old car. I could just make out the figures of my Uncle John, and my second-youngest (and favorite) cousin, Jenny. Jenny, like Ralph and Susan, had inherited my aunt's fair looks.

Apparently my mother (Aunt Ellie's sister) had been fair of face, as well. I'd never known her, since she had died of depression, only a few months after bringing me into the world. _Never knew my dad, either, whoever he was. _The lousy git had run out on my mum, leaving her pregnant and alone in the world. That had brought on the depression, according to my uncle. My dad had as good as murdered her. One day I would find him, and pay him back for that.

But now my aunt was talking to me, and I had to listen, or else risk getting in trouble again.

"Rosie, love, we've been through this before, I know, but it's important that you remember. You're going to Hogwarts in a few hours, just like your mum, and you need to make a fresh start. No more Incidents," she said.

The Incidents. What could I say? They'd been happening almost all my life, ever since I had started school. The fist one had happened on my very first day of school, in fact. Standing there, outside King's Cross station, six years later, I couldn't even remember what I had done or said that had been wrong. The only thing I could remember before the Incident itself happened was the freckled face of the curly haired boy, looming above me.

_Freak._

_Baby._

_And the worst insult. The one that none of my cousins ever dared mention, even when we were fighting. My shame at what I was and what I had been born to be. The B-word._

And then the anger, swelling up through me, clouding my mind with a thick red fog.

_How dare he? How dare he? I can't control it; I can't keep it in..._

The explosion. The screams. A teacher's face, pale against the sky. And every one staring at me. Something wet on my hands and on my face.

_What have I done? What have I done? Oh God..._

Even the memory of it threatened to swamp my mind. I forced myself to focus on the kind, warm face of my aunt. I wouldn't cry, not anymore. I tilted my chin up and tried to look proud and self-assured.

But Aunt Ellie had known me all my life and she could see through my act. She put a comforting arm around me.

"I know that you act like you don't care, Rosie," she said softly "But I know that it hurts you, deep inside. Doesn't it?"

I spun out of her embrace and crossed my arms defiantly, letting my stance serve as an answer to her question.

"It's not your fault, Rosie, darling. All those things that you've done, you did by accident."

_Really?_ _How do I really know for sure? I was angry. No, not just angry: I was bloody furious. I _wanted _them to suffer._

My aunt pulled out my official Hogwarts letter from her coat pocket. Tucked inside was a small note, written in an elegant script, on the same kind of yellowed parchment. She waved the letter under my nose.

"Professor Dumbledore understands," she told me "He can help you, Rosie."

I glared darkly at the note in her fist. School? Fine. Teachers? Fine. Magic? Brilliant. Another long string of psychiatry sessions? No. Tests and exercises_? No._ People telling me that it's all for "my own good"? _NO!_

"I don't need his help. I'm getting better at controlling it," I lied "It's loads easier now. No more Incidents, I promise. Honestly, Aunt Ellie."

Aunt Ellie looked uncertain for a moment, but my uncle and my cousins had successfully managed to pry my two trunks from the small luggage space left in our car, and were calling to us to hurry up. In Jenny's arms was the cage which held my barn owl, Merlin.

"It's almost twelve o'clock," yelled my Uncle John "The train will leave soon."

Aunt Ellie gave my arm a brief squeeze, before bustling off to deal with my youngest cousin, James, who had just woken up and burst into tears.

"You'll be fine, Rosie," she whispered to me.

I slouched after her, repeating the words over and over again, like a mantra.

_I'll be fine._

_It's much easier now._

_I'll be fine._

_I can control it._

But I knew, deep in my heart, that I was lying.


	2. Platform Nine and Three Quarters

**Happy reading! Please R&R!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything you recognize from the HP books, J.K Rowling does. **

"It's not here," I said, my voice flat with disbelief.

Aunt Ellie shifted James to her other hip and shot a worried look at the ticket clenched in her fist.

"But it clearly says "Platform Nine and Three-Quarters"."

I ignored this observation due to the fact that it was a tad obvious, preferring to gape at the perfectly normal _brick wall _that separated Platform Nine from Platform Ten. It was a perfectly clean and acceptable brick wall _excep_t for the fact that Platform Nine and Three-Quarters was incredibly conspicuous in its absence.

I felt like a balloon that had been blown up almost to its bursting point, and then suddenly deflated. True, I hadn't been to keen on being examined and tested like a lab rat by Professor Dumbledore (whoever _he _was), but still, I had been looking forward to going to Hogwarts. I had hoped to have finally found a place where I could fit in and blend with the other students. The idea of learning magic was pretty intriguing too.

Disappointment swelled up inside me, and behind it, rising up like a red tide, I could feel the anger. My ears began to buzz. The noise started off fairly quietly, but quickly grew into a roar. Sweat trickled down my back and made my dark green shirt stick to my skin. I squeezed my eyes shut and tried to keep the anger down.

_Not here. Never here. Please, not with my family so close._

My heart thudded against my ribs and my breathing became harsh and irregular. I knew that if I let the anger explode out of me there, in the crowded station, I would kill someone. I was certain of it. In the past, people who had been near me when I got uncontrollably angry had been lucky to get away with only burns and broken bones. Those occasions had been the reasons that I could never stay in one school for more than two months without being expelled.

I could hear Merlin give an anxious hoot from inside is cage. Being a magically tainted animal, he could sense trouble coming. My aunt's hand patted my arm and I could faintly hear her ask a worried question. Her voice sounded to me as if she was very far away.

_Don't touch me. Please just GO AWAY. I don't want to..._

_**Let go.**_

_No, I can't._

_**Let go.**_

_NO!_

I opened my eyes and rocked back on my heels as hundreds of colored dots swam across my eyeballs. Relief washed over me. I had dealt with my anger and kept it in.

Jenny chewed on a clump of her curly blond hair and shifted from foot to foot nervously.

"Are you 'kay, Rosie?" she asked, clutching Aunt Ellie's skirt with one fat fist "You look ill."

"Yeah Jen-Jen, I'm fine." I told her, elation filling my mind with a golden mist of happiness "I'm _absolutely _fine."

Aunt Ellie and Uncle John swapped expressive looks, and both of them beamed at me. I smiled back, proud that I hadn't disappointed (or blown up) either of them. Perhaps the anger _was _getting better.

"You went all pale for a bit," put in Ralph "And you started to sweat and-"

"Shut up," I hissed, giving him a good two-handed shove.

"_Rosie..."_ began Aunt Ellie, warningly.

"He's not hurt, or anything," I protested "Look, he's laughing."

He was indeed laughing, and before Uncle John or Aunt Ellie could stop him he darted forwards and pushed me, perhaps a good deal harder than was safe. I was caught off balance, and stumbled backwards betwards the barrier.

I shut my eyes and waited for the crack of my skull hitting the brickwork. _And it didn't come. _I kept on falling a lot longer than I'd expected to.

_Thump._

"_Damn it."_

Those were the two sounds that accompanied my abrupt collision with the ground. I was so jarred by the impact and the surprise that I just sat there, staring numbly at what I realized must be the back of the brick wall. At least, what had _seemed_ like a brick wall. In my experience (I don't know about you), when you lean into a brick wall, it _stays _leaned on. It definitely shouldn't allow you to slide through it as if it were made of mist.

"Oy, move out of the way!"

"Yeah kid, move!"

I scrambled to my feet and gaped at my surroundings. Dozens of people were clustered on a platform which was marked by the sign: "Platform Nine and Three-Quarters". Many of them were kids, ranging from about eleven to seventeen. Most of the kids were carrying trunks and quite a few of them had owls. They all seemed to be moving in one direction, betwards a scarlet train that was evidently preparing to depart. It was marked: "The Hogwarts Express".

I turned back to face the magical barrier just in time to see my aunt and uncle step through the apparently solid wall, followed by my wide eyed cousins.

"Wow."

"_Wicked._"

"So, _this _was how Kathy did it," said Aunt Ellie "I always wondered..."

"Yeah, it's 'mazing, isn't it?" I said.

Behind me a shrill whistle blew.

"You'll miss it if you don't hurry," said Uncle John, passing me Merlin's cage and giving me a quick hug "I'll miss you, Rosie."

I gave my cousins a wink and stuck out my tongue.

"'Bye, my uglies."

Aunt Ellie gave my arm a brief squeeze and whispered "Good luck, darling. Be safe."

"I'll be careful. I'll write you every week!"

"Hurry!" she urged, smiling a little sadly.

The doors of the train began to close. I ran.

**I hope you liked it, next chapter Rosie will meet some of the other characters from HP.**


	3. On the Train to Hogwarts

**_Hi guys, this one's much longer than the other two, but I said that there would be some HP characters, and so there will be. I've actually already posted this chapter, but I then found a few mistakes, and have reposted it. Thanks, to everyone who's reviewed this so far! Please R&R and tell me what you think of this so far..._**

**_Disclaimer: I don't own anything that you recognize from the series. Please do not sue._**

_Clatter. Bump. Thump._

I made my way (well, I really ended up _shoving _my way, the place was bloody crowded) through the train's corridor, searching for an empty compartment. Right then, I just wanted to be alone. Unfortunately, I appeared to be the only person on The Hogwarts Express who cared for solitude, because every compartment seemed to be packed with happy, laughing friends.

A lot of students had already changed into their Hogwarts robes, and I was beginning to notice that not everyone was wearing the same color of badge and tie. I'd spotted a group of giggling fourth-year girls, all of whom were wearing yellow and black ties and little crest shaped badges displaying what I thought might have been some kind of bear. One compartment of particularily studious individuals was full of bronze and blue, with some kind of big bird on the crests. I wondered what that stood for.

Apparently, my mum had never really told Aunt Ellie much about her time at Hogwarts. When I asked her, my aunt had only been able to say that her sister had been a Ravenclaw (whatever _that_ meant), good at Transfiguration, and had begun to go out with my dad when they were both in fifth-year.

The train jerked forwards suddenly and I jerked with it, almost slamming right into the person ahead of me. I opened my mouth to say something impatient and-

-didn't.

It was a girl, roughly my own age but taller, with copper colored, shoulder length hair. Her shoulders were hunched forwards slightly, and her head was down. I recognized the pose all too well.

_Uh-oh..._

Three other girls stood in front of her, all of them at least two years older than me, and all of them wearing silver and green trimmed robes and ties. The one closest to me had wavy brown hair, large blue eyes, and a fairly pretty, but definitely cruel, face. To her left was a thin, slightly malnourished specimen, with a face that reminded me strongly of a rat. The last girl was bigger than the other two, with curly auburn hair, and the air of one who was there to be a sort of body guard. The three of them were clearly good friends. Their body language said: cool, confident, in control...

_And I thought that Hogwarts would be different. Silly me._

The girl in front (_the leader, I suppose_) opened her mouth to say something to the hunched up girl. Before she could, I pushed past the victim and stood facing the three of them.

"Excuse me," I said, as icily as possible "I hate to interrupt your little 'I'm-so-superior-and-menacing' act, but you're blocking the corridor."

It takes a lot to work up a proper sneer, but the leader managed it.

"Oh, yes?" she said "And who are _you?_"

"Rose Saunders."

I lifted my chin as haughtily as possible, under the circumstances (standing in a crowded train, becoming rapidly aware that your pet owl has taken its opportunity to do its business on the leg of your jeans), but really I was sizing the girls up, preparing for a decent punch-up.

For every time that I'd been expelled for Incidents, there had been two times that I'd been expelled for fighting. Again and again, I'd explained to the school's authorities that I didn't go _looking_ for fights, they came looking for _me_. There just seemed to be a part of every student bully that wanted to hit Rosie Saunders. Unfortunately for them, Rosie Saunders wanted to hit back.

The only serious injury that I'd ever sustained from another student had happened during a game of field-hockey. A member of the opposite team had used the b-word, and I'd punched them, hard. _Wham_- a hockey stick right across the cheek, splitting open my face and almost losing me my left eye. The anger had flowed back, and then there were three long scorch marks in the grass, and a burning hockey stick dropping out of the kid's hand. The kid in question had been expelled for violence, and after I'd left the hospital, I'd been expelled too. They'd never said for what. They probably weren't a hundred percent sure what I'd done, they'd just known that I'd done something.

_The story of my life, really._

But stories have to change at some point, and staring at the three girls, I knew that I didn't want to fight them. I didn't want to tarnish my fresh start with blood and punishments. I checked for the anger, but it wasn't there. _Maybe it's not too late for you to be normal, Rosie. _I reached into my jean's pocket and pulled out my wand (nine and a half inches, willow, and dragon heart-string). It had been my mum's.

"Move," I said, quietly. I kept the wand as low as possible, tilted upwards to point directly at the leader's heart.

The girls snickered, but I sensed a note of uncertainty beneath the nastiness. _I've got them worried._

"I'm _really _terrified," the thin girl mocked "I bet you don't even know how to use that thing."

"Want to bet?" Behind me, I thought I heard the tall girl stifle a laugh.

"Who's blocking the corridor?"

"I need to get past."

"Keep moving."

Suddenly, I was being pushed and shoved from behind by a crowd of students.

"I'm sorry," I yelled over my shoulder "But this lot is just standing here, and I can't get past."

A wave of angry muttering flowed from student to student. I gave the three girls a smile as sweet as a chocolate bar.

"I'd move if I were you."

They did, reluctantly retreating into a nearby compartment. I had won that particular battle, but there was a definite feeling in the air that the war was by no means over. _Just what I need._ The copper haired girl was swallowed by the crowds. _Pity, she seemed an O.K sort. Wonder what her name was..._

Well, I didn't waste much time wondering; I had remembered my original mission down that end of the train. I walked a bit farther down the corridor, then yanked open a door.

"Can I join you?" I asked the only person inside the compartment.

"No."

"Too bad," I said, ducking inside and swinging Merlin and my trunk up onto the rack "You're free to leave."

Then, having settled myself down on one of the seats, I took a good look at my compartment-mate.

She was about my height, with dark skin and long, shiny, dark hair, which had been done into a plait. A twinge of jealousy stirred in my heart. She was not exactly pretty, but she had the look of someone who would be beautiful in a few years. The girl had not yet changed into her robes, and on her lap was a magazine with "Quidditch Player's Manual" written on the front.

We stared defiantly at each other for a few minutes, and I had the awful feeling that the bit of mess that Merlin had left on my leg was extremely obvious. I tried to think of something polite to say (something I don't do a lot). 'What the heck is Quidditch?' probably wouldn't cut it.

There was a squeak of wheels in the passage outside, and a middle-aged, kindly-looking woman appeared, pushing a cart, laden with all sorts of brightly colored sweets. The plate of eggs and bacon I'd eaten that morning suddenly seemed very far away.

"Anything from the trolley, dears?" she said, cheerfully, but with the slight attitude of someone who has been saying the same thing over and over again for many years.

"Yeah, er-I mean," I faltered, remembering the lecture on respectful language my aunt had given me "Yes please, ma'am. I mean-"

"It's quite all right, dear, I know what you mean. And I must say that I wish that some of the other students are half as polite as you."

I blinked. I'd never been praised for my manners before.

"What would you like, dear?"

"Erm," I took a squint at the contents of trolley. I'd never seen any of them in the shops before "Two of those blue and gold boxes-"

"-chocolate frogs," said the dark skinned girl.

"Yeah, those. And two of those little purple packets-"

"-Bertie Bott's Every Flavored Beans."

"Yeah, that's right."

The trolley-witch handed me the sweets, then pulled out a well worn piece of parchment.

"That will be...two Sickles and one Knut."

_Ah, yes. Wizard money, right? No bank notes for us, eh? _I opened up my trunk and pulled out the jingling bag that Aunt Ellie had found in one of the many boxes of my mum's stuff. I poured out a small amount of coins onto my lap and sorted through them. _Are sickles the big gold ones? Nah, those are Gallie-Galy-Gal- Gali something or rathers. No, _these _ones are Sickles. Yeah, that's right, and the little ones are Knuts._

"Here,' I said handing over the appropriate amount.

"Thank you, dear. Good luck at Hogwarts."

A squeak of the trolley's wheels, and she was gone. I turned to the girl and held out one of the packs of Bertie Bott's Every Flavored Beans.

"Look, I don't know anybody on this train, and I don't think that you do either. I need a friend, and so do you. What about it?" It was quite an original approach, but the girl grinned at me, and took the pack of sweets.

"Cheers," she said, opening it up with one hand and sticking out the other "Angelina Johnson."

"Rosie Saunders."

We munched for awhile in companionable silence, while The Hogwarts Express chugged along through the Scottish countryside. The light was already beginning to fade and draw back into the western sky. After a few minutes Angelina tossed aside her packet, and leaned forwards.

"Which one do you want to be sorted into, then?" she said, almost conspiratorially.

"Which one of what?' I asked, experimenting with a grass flavored bean.

"The four Hogwarts Houses, of course. Ravenclaw, Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, and Slytherin. Are you from a Muggle family, then?"

"Not exactly. My mum was a witch and my dad was wizard. I've lived with my non-magic aunt and uncle all my life."

Angelina nodded.

"My mum and dad got divorced when I was six. They both went to Hogwarts. My two little brothers will probably go too."

"What about those Houses? What's the difference between them?"

"Well, first there's Gryffindor. All the brave, strong, and courageous lot go there. Then there's Ravenclaw; that's for all the brainy types. Then there's Hufflepuff; you go there if you're sweet, nice, and hard-working," Angelina grinned "My mum was a Hufflepuff; it sounds dead boring. My dad was a Ravenclaw."

"What about the fourth house? Slytherclaw or something?" I asked.

"Oh yeah, Slytherin, it's called. If you're cunning, ambitious, and ruthless, you'll go there."

"How do you go?"

"Dunno, my mum didn't say. She said it would be a _surprise_," said Angelina, shaking her head in mock disgust.

"What do you want to be?" I asked, even though I already had a pretty good idea of what the answer would be.

"Gryffindor, probably. It seems the closest. You?"

I wasn't sure. None of the houses seemed quite right for me. My mum had been a Ravenclaw, but I'd never considered myself particularily book-smart. Hufflepuff was beyond consideration, especially with a name like that. I was certain that I wasn't very brave, so that was Gryffindor off the list. In fact, the best match seemed to be Slytherin, but something in the way that Angelina had said the name made me think that this might not be a good thing. I had a nasty feeling that the three girls in the corridor were Slytherins. I wondered briefly what my dad had been.

'I'm not sure,' I said to Angelina "None of them seem to fit."

"I know what you mean. But cheer up; with our brilliant looks and fantastic manners, they'll probably end up inventing a brand new house for us."

I laughed at this, and Angelina reached into her suitcase and pulled out a pack of shiny purple cards.

"Ever played a game of Exploding Snap before?' she asked.

"Is it like the normal kind?"

"Well, it's _sort_ of like the normal kind, but-"

_Boom._

"-there are a few minor differences..." Angelina finished, picking the still slightly smoking cards up off the floor."

_Bang. Crash._

The compartment door flew open and banged into the edge of one of the seats with amazing force. Needle sharp shards clattered to the floor as the glass of the door shattered. I ducked as a particularily large piece flew towards my head. Angelina stared.

A girl stepped into the compartment. Well, she sort of stepped. Every movement was so full of energy that she gave the impression of bouncing up and down on springs. She was quite small, shorter than me, and her curly, medium- length, strawberry- blond hair was pushed back behind an Alice Band. Her eyes were a vivid green, and she had a sprinkling of freckles across the bridge of her slightly snubbed nose.

"Hello," she said, speaking quite quickly "I was sitting with my sister and her mates, but I got bored and came looking for some decent company. Are you new here too?"

"Yes," said Angelina, quietly "We are."

"Aren't you excited about-" she took in our expressions for the first time "Did I say something wrong?"

"Not _said, _exactly..." began Angelina.

"That _was_ our door." I said pointedly, taking the last sweet out of the packet, and rolling it between my fingers.

The girl looked embarrassed.

'Oh, I'm sorry-"

I coughed and my hands flew to my mouth.

"No, it's fine," said Angelina, sweeping the bits of glass under her seat "What's your name? Mine's Angelina Johnson and this is Rosie Saunders."

"Pleasure," said the girl "My name's Katie Bell."

I clutched my stomach and began to retch.

"Is she okay?" asked Katie, sitting down beside me.

"Oh yes," said Angelina, pulling the pack of cards towards her "She's just had what was probably an earwax flavored sweet. Now, Katie, can you play Exploding Snap?"

**Thanks for reading. Personally, I find it hard to keep the original characters 'in character', but J.K Rowling never really went very in depth with Katie or Angelina. And in case anyone is going to say "But Katie is a year younger than Angelina", please don't. All the books ever say is that Katie is a year behind Angelina at the end of Harry's fifth year. I have a plan for her that I think will work. Please review and tell me how I'm doing on Angelina's and katie's characters. 'Bye.**


	4. Out into the Dark

**Short chapter. Please R&R!**

**Disclaimer: The only thing in this story that I did not borrow from J.K Rowling is Rosie, please don't sue me.**

"Wizards," I began, trying for the hundredth time to scrape the awful, sour taste off my tongue "Are absolutely mental."

Katie and Angelina, now both dressed in their Hogwarts robes, exchanged expressive glances, and Katie opened her mouth to say something.

"Rosie-"

"Don't bother trying to deny it," I insisted, waving the empty sweet package around distractedly "I mean what sort of twisted mind can come up with an ear wax flavored sweet? I've never met this 'Bertie' chap, but I want to kill him!"

"Rosie-"

"No, no, it's true," I said, leaping up dramatically, over-acting now for fun "This whole thing shows the workings of a fiendish plot!"

"A _what?_" yelped Angelina, bursting out laughing.

"A plot," I said, not really sure where I was going with this anymore "S'probably some kind of mass-poisoning."

"Yeah, and she thinks that _Bertie Botts _is mental..." said Katie, _sotto voce_.

"I heard that!" I said, feigning annoyance and throwing the empty packet at her.

Angelina caught it and threw it back to me, grinning. A queer sort of warmth spread through my body. _Friendship. So this is what friendship is like..._ I'd never really had any friends before. _Friends, I have friends... _I rolled the word around in my head, trying to find a place for it in all the pain, loneliness, and suppressed anger. _Friends. _For a moment, the red anger was gone, disappearing completely from my life. No one had ever wanted to be friends with me before. I was a _freak_, something to be feared and shunned. And then the anger came back, still manageable and distant, but there. But still the flame of friendship seemed to burn in my mind, like a light-house in a storm. Burning. _Burning._

"You all right, Rosie?" Angelina's grin had faded, replaced by a look of concern. Katie was peering at me inquisitively, her green eyes wide and surprised.

"I'm fine," I muttered, not meeting my friends' eyes. I pressed my cheek against the cold window pane, and stared out at the dark landscape "I just felt a bit...queer."

In the faint reflection of the window, I saw Angelina begin to shuffle the pack of Exploding Snap Cards. The reflection flickered with every jolt of the train, so that her and Katie's heads bobbed and jerked and their outlines blurred disconcertingly.

I cupped my hands around my eyes in an attempt to disperse the images, and saw that we were slowing down. I could just make out the skeletal outlines of a few tree branches against the sky.

"Alright," said Angelina, pushing her cards into her pocket and grabbing her trunk "This is it."

I followed suit, Katie helping me with Merlin's cage. Her hands shook slightly as she handed him to me, and I noticed that she was chewing he lower lip. Angelina looked fairly confident, but as we pushed our way through the train corridor, I noticed that she was shivering a bit, despite the warmth of the train. My palms were sweating, and I wiped them on my skirt.

We reached an open door, and a blast of cold wind blew my hair away from my face. Angelina went first, vanishing with into the darkness of the outside world without a backwards glance. Katie next, hopping nimbly out. I took a deep breath and uttered a short prayer to whoever happened to be listening. I would be strong. For my mother, I would be strong. The darkness reached out to me, and I jumped into it, ready to face Hogwarts.

**Thanks for reading :)**


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